Advice for Casey Anthony attorneys: Be prepared and have no excuses for new judge

Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Belvin Perry is known for keeping cases on track and holding lawyers’ feet to the fire.

April 20, 2010|By Sarah Lundy, Orlando Sentinel

In more than decade as a chief judge, Belvin Perry developed a reputation well-suited for the drama that is the Casey Anthony case — efficient and no-nonsense.

In style and practice, his courtrooms are dramatically different than those of Stan Strickland, a laid-back jurist who prefers friendly informality.

It's possible the tenor of Orlando's high-profile murder case changed dramatically on Monday when Strickland disqualified himself after nearly two years of minding its docket and Perry assumed control.

The transition from Strickland to Perry represents an on-the-ground adjustment that attorneys in the Casey Anthony case must make.

"It's going to be a different working environment for the attorneys," Orlando defense attorney Diana Tennis said. "The quality of justice won't change . . . [but] the stress on the attorneys may be ratcheted up."

The public and the media have yet to see prosecutors and Anthony's defense team together before Perry, a 60-year-old veteran of high-profile cases and the cameras that come with them.

The next status hearing — a date is not yet set — will be Perry's introduction overseeing a case that has drawn international attention since it began two years ago.

Anthony, 24, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, 2-year-old Caylee Marie. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Anthony, who remains in the Orange County Jail.

A court spokeswoman said Perry is already in the process reading the Anthony court files. He declined multiple media requests for interviews.

The Anthony case landed on Strickland's docket in July 2008 when Casey Anthony was arrested on charges of child neglect and lying to deputy sheriffs.

It was a circus from the beginning: Anthony's daughter was still classified as missing, and the search for Caylee drew national network attention.

In court, Strickland, as is his custom, gave attorneys on both sides ample time to speak their minds. He tolerated squabbling with a calm temperament.

This, local attorneys said, is not the way of Belvin Perry.

No patience for bickering

In his second stretch as Orange Circuit chief judge, Perry likes to-the-point conversations and has little patience for bickering.

"There are no excuses for not meeting deadlines and not being prepared," said Orlando defense attorney Andrea Black, who has tried murder cases in front both judges Black.

A Jones High School graduate, Perry earned a degree from Tuskegee University, where he also earned his master's in education. His law degree is from Texas Southern University.

He started out as a prosecutor and became a judge in 1989. His colleagues first elected him to chief judge in 1995. He took two years off and then was re-elected as chief judge in 2001. He has held the position since then.

Perry survived sex scandal

It speaks to Perry's reputation that he regained his status following a sex scandal that nearly derailed his career.

In 1998, he acknowledged a seven-year affair with former deputy court administrator Janis Williamson. She was fired a year earlier and filed a discrimination complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Perry publicly apologized for the affair but said Williamson's firing had nothing to do with their relationship. She settled her complaint in 1999 for $65,000.

As chief judge, Perry doesn't carry a regular case load and handles the assignment of judges. He isn't assigned cases as other judges are.

He often takes cases that are difficult and often ends up with those for which other judges (or their schedules) aren't suited, such as a death-penalty case or ones that are more time consuming. Perry has handled a slew of murder trials and more than a few death-penalty cases.

After Orange Circuit Court Bob Wattles died earlier this year, Perry took over a death penalty case that was being handled by Wattles. Convicted killer David Johnston had won an appeal for a hearing to determine if he was mentally challenged. Last month, Perry ruled Johnston was not mentally challenged and can be executed by the state.

Perry also has other duties in the legal system. He's chairman of the state's trial court budget commission, which lobbies in Tallahassee and looks for money to support courts.